Sample Assignments for Different Approaches to GAI Use

In a previous CATL article, we recommended using the traffic light model to guide students on the appropriate use of generative AI (GAI) in assignments and course activities. Assuming you’ve already included a policy on GAI in your syllabus, it’s also important to provide clear instructions in your assignment descriptions. Below are some examples of assignment descriptions, using the traffic light approach and graphic. Instructors will vary on whether they want to use that visual or simply explain in words. If you choose to use the stoplight visuals, please be sure to provide an accompanying description of what that means for your specific assignment. While tailored to specific subjects, these samples share common strategies.

Consider the following general suggestions when designing your assignments:

  • Be clear and specific about GAI use in your syllabi and assignments. Clearly outline when and how GAI can be used for assignments and activities. Avoid ambiguity so students know exactly what’s expected. For example, if brainstorming is allowed but not writing, specify that distinction.
  • Include GAI usage disclaimers in assignment directions. Regularly remind students by adding a GAI disclaimer at the beginning of assignment instructions. This will make them accustomed to looking for guidance on AI use before starting their work.
  • Explain the rational for AI use or nonuse. Help students understand the reasoning behind when GAI can or cannot be used. This can reinforce the learning objectives and clarify the purposes behind your guidelines.
  • Clarify the criteria for evaluating AI collaboration. Specify how assignments will be graded concerning AI use. If students need to acknowledge or cite their AI usage, provide specific instructions on how they should do so.
  • Define which AI tools students can use. Should students stick to Microsoft Copilot (available to them with their UWGB account, so they don’t have to provide personal information to a third party or pay a subscription fee) or can they use others like ChatGPT?
  • Use the TILT framework. Leading with transparent design for assignments and activities helps students clearly understand the purpose, tasks, and assessment criteria. This framework can also help instructors clarify how GAI should be used and assessed in assignments.

Sample Assignment Instructions on AI Use

Red Light Approach: No GAI Use Permitted Assignment Example

The example below is for a writing emphasis course and the assignment purpose is to evaluate students’ own writing. For this assignment, GAI tools are not allowed. The instructor includes an explanation of this description to further clarify the assignment’s purpose.

Yellow Light Approach: GAI Use Permitted for Specific Tasks/Tools Examples

The yellow-light approach can be hard to define depending on what you want students to practice and develop for a given assignment. We’ve provided two samples below that each take a slightly different approach, but all clearly label what tools and for what tasks AI can be used and why.

Green Light Approach: All GAI Use Permitted

Instructors may choose to take a green light approach to AI for all assignments or allow AI use for selected assignments. The example below takes a low-stakes approach, permitting full AI use to encourage experimentation. Even with this method, instructors should provide clear assignment expectations.

Learn More

Explore even more CATL resources related to AI in education.

How Will Generative AI Change My Course (GenAI Checklist)?

With the growing prevalence of generative AI applications and the ongoing discussions surrounding their integration in higher education, it can be overwhelming to contemplate their impact on your courses, learning materials, and field. As we navigate these new technologies, it is crucial to reflect on how generative AI can either hinder or enhance your teaching methods. CATL has created a checklist designed to help instructors consider how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) products may affect your courses and learning materials (syllabi, learning outcomes, and assessment).

Each step provides guidance on how to make strategic course adaptations and set course expectations that address these tools. As you go through the checklist, you may find yourself revisiting previous steps as you reconsider your course specifics and understanding of GAI.

Checklist for Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on your Course

View an abridged, printable version of the checklist to work through on your own.

Step One: Experiment with Generative AI

  • Experiment with GAI tools. Test Copilot (available to UWGB faculty, staff, and students) by inputting your own assignment prompts and assessing its performance in completing your assignments.
  • Research the potential benefits, concerns, and use cases regarding generative AI to gain a sense of the potential applications and misuses of this technology.

Step Two: Review Your Learning Outcomes

  • Reflect on your course learning outcomes. A good place to start is by reviewing this resource on AI and Bloom’s Taxonomy which considers AI capabilities for each learning level. Which outcomes lend themselves well to the use of generative AI and which outcomes emphasize your students’ distinctive human skills? Keep this in mind as you move on to steps three and four, as the way students demonstrate achieved learning outcomes may need to be revised.

Step Three: Assess the Extent of GAI Use in Class

  • Assess to what extent your course or discipline will be influenced by AI advancements. Are experts in your discipline already collaborating with GAI tools? Will current or future careers in your field work closely with these technologies? If so, consider what that means about your responsibility to prepare students for using generative AI effectively and ethically.
  • Determine the extent of usage appropriate for your course. Will you allow students to use GAI all the time or not at all? If students can use it, is it appropriate only for certain assignments/activities with guidance and permission from the instructor? If students can use GAI, how and when should they cite their use of these technologies (MLA, APA, Chicago)? Be specific and clear with your students.
  • Revisit your learning outcomes (step two). After assessing the impact of advancements in generative AI on your discipline and determining how the technology will be used (or not used) in your course, return to your learning outcomes and reassess if they align with course changes/additions you may have identified in this step.

Step Four: Review Your Assignments/Assessments

  • Evaluate your assignments to determine how AI can be integrated to support learning outcomes. The previous steps asked you to consider the relevance of AI to your field and its potential impact on students’ future careers. How are professionals in your discipline using AI, and how might you include AI-related skills in your course? What types of skills will students need to develop independently of AI, such as creativity, interpersonal skills, judgement, metacognitive reflection, and contextual reasoning? Can using AI for some parts of an assignment free up students’ time to focus more on the parts that develop these skills?
  • View, again, this resource on AI capabilities versus distinctive human skills as they relate to the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
  • Define AI’s role in your course assignments and activities. Like step three, you’ll want to be clear with your students on how AI may be used for specific course activities. Articulate which parts of an assignment students can use AI assistance for and which parts students need to complete without AI. If AI use doesn’t benefit an assignment, explain to your students why it’s excluded and how the assignment work will develop relevant skills that AI can’t assist with. If you find AI is beneficial, consider how you will support your students’ usage for tasks like editing, organizing information, brainstorming, and formatting. In your assignment instructions, explain how students should cite or otherwise disclose their use of AI.
  • Apply the TILT framework to your assignments to help students understand the value of the work and the criteria for success.

Step Five: Update Your Syllabus

  • Add a syllabus statement outlining the guidelines you’ve determined pertaining to generative AI in your course. You can refer to our syllabus snippets for examples of generative AI-related syllabi statements.
  • Include your revised or new learning outcomes in your syllabus and consider how you will emphasize the importance of those course outcomes for students’ career/skill development.
  • Address and discuss your guidelines and expectations for generative AI usage with students on day one of class and put them in your syllabus. Inviting your students to provide feedback on course AI guidelines can help increase their understanding and buy-in.

Step Six: Seek Support and Resources

  • Engage with your colleagues to exchange experiences and practices for incorporating or navigating generative AI.
  • Stay informed about advancements and applications of generative AI technology.

Checklist for Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on Your Course © 2024 by Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Want More Resources?

Visit the CATL blog, The Cowbell, for more resources related to generative AI in higher education.

Need Help?

CATL is available to offer assistance and support at every step of the checklist presented above. Contact CATL for a consultation or by email at CATL@uwgb.edu if you have questions, concerns, or perhaps are apprehensive to go through this checklist.

 

 

a group of UWGB students in green t-shirts smiling and giving a thumbs up as they welcome new freshmen for move-in

Why Didn’t Anyone Do Today’s Reading? – Engaging Students by Building Relationships 

Article by Pamela Rivers

The semester is well under way. Your students have taken their first exam. Some are active and excelling. Others have stopped coming to class or are not completing the assigned readings. Welcome to the end of September.

Maybe you thought this time it wouldn’t happen. Everyone was eager and excited and answering your questions for the first few class sessions. Now, however, you are right back to encountering some disengaged students doing what feels like the bare minimum, and it’s eating away at your passion for teaching. Is this the fate for our classes, or are there more or different things we can do to reach students?

First, to be clear, engaging students is not magic, and although it should be informed by science, in many ways it’s also an art form. Like all art, some of it appeals to us and some of it doesn’t. No one can promise you a room full of fully engaged students who always turn in their homework, laugh at all your jokes, and come prepared every session. No trick or strategy works for every person, every time. There are, however, certain strategies you can employ to make it more likely your students will listen, attend, and want to do well, for you and for themselves.

Relationships Matter

In “Culturally Responsive Teachers Create Counter Narratives for Students”, Zaretta Hammond argues that relationships can be the “on ramp to learning.” She says that relationships can be as important as the curriculum. One research study cited in Relationship-Rich Education showed that alumni who had a faculty member who cared about them as a student felt more connected to their current jobs. Unfortunately, only 27% of graduates surveyed had someone in that role. This powerful research shows that developing relationships with our students not only engages them, but can also lead to their success down the road.

That is compelling research, and it can take a lot less than you might imagine to make a real difference in the lives of your students. Students want to know that you care, and they want to feel welcome in your classroom. Research suggests that colleges and universities need to invest in a “relentless welcome of their students,” (Felton and Lambert, 2020) but faculty can lead the way in their individual classrooms by integrating activities that build relationships and encourage engagement.

Getting to Know You Surveys

Before class starts, whether online or face-to-face, send out a “getting to know you” survey through Canvas. This survey can ask questions specific to your discipline, but it is also a place to show interest in your students and what might hold them back from being successful. You could ask about your students’ pronouns, how they prefer to be contacted, any worries they are having about your class, and any specific needs they have. You can find a lot out about a student by simply asking. Need a ready-made survey? Reach out to CATL to get a copy of our Canvas Template, which includes a sample survey.

Ice Breakers

When you hear the word “ice breakers,” you may groan. The truth is a silly, active icebreaker is a wonderful way to get face-to-face students moving and is a start to building classroom community (Sciutto, M.J., 1995). A people bingo game, for example, can help get students talking and will help them get to know each other. If you are teaching online, there are plenty of icebreakers you can do asynchronously, including video introductions or a game like two truths and a lie.

Class Norms

Developing a set of agreed-upon class norms (expectations or guidelines), both for your students and you, that everyone is involved in creating goes a long way toward building both trust and community. Next semester, take part of your first class session to have your students help you develop norms. If you need some ideas for what these class expectations might look like, check out the “Trust” section of this CATL toolbox article.

Make It Matter

Find ways to tie your assignments to students’ goals, lives, and futures. If you ask me to spend 2 hours every week looking up dictionary definitions for words I’ve never heard of for a random quiz that doesn’t seem to have any bearing on what I’m supposed to be learning in your course, I am unlikely to be motivated to keep spending my time looking in the dictionary. If, on the other hand, you explain to me the importance of the words I’m learning, how they will be useful in my next class, and even how they may show up on a licensing exam for my future career, my motivation changes.

Unplanned Conversations

In face-to-face or synchronous online courses, you can use the time before class or while students are working to chat with those students who are unoccupied. Mention something you liked about their work, ask how their weekend was, and show a genuine interest in them. You never know what you might learn in these conversations. It may not lead to anything, or it may lead to a student feeling seen. Establishing a friendly and open line of communication with students in this way also makes it more likely that they will feel comfortable coming to you if they have a question or issue in the class.

Give Your Students a Chance to be Successful

As you build up to the major coursework in your class, have small, low-stakes assignments that give them all an opportunity for success and to receive formative feedback. As students get a small taste of success, they will want to feel that more.

Use Your Students’ Names and Pronouns

Another way to make a student feel seen is by how you address them. Ask your students what they would like to be called and what pronouns they use in a “getting to know you survey” or some other activity at the start of the semester. If you are teaching a face-to-face class and are good with names, try to memorize their names and pronouns during the first few weeks and use them frequently. If you are teaching online or have more students than you can remember for a large face-to-face roster, ask students to complete the name pronunciation activity created by CATL to help instructors with names. In face-to-face classes, also consider having students create name tents that they can pull out for class use. These small steps show that you care about making them feel comfortable in class, and help students learn the names of their peers as well.

Engagement is Key for Student Success

There are no silver bullets for engagement, but hopefully there are a few things on this list that you can consider adding to your teaching practices. And the truth is, engagement matters. According to Miller in “The Value of Being Seen: Faculty-Student Relationships as the Cornerstone of Postsecondary Learning,” engaged students experience more academic success and have higher persistence rates. Keeping our students engaged gives them the best chance at success.

References

Cohen, E., & Viola, J. (2022). The role of pedagogy and the curriculum in university students’ sense of belonging. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 19(4), 1–17.

Felton, P., & Lambert, L. (2020). Relationship-Rich Education. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Hammond, Z. (2018, June 18). Culturally Responsive Teachers Create Counter Narratives for Students. Valinda Kimmel. September 12, 2023, valinda.kimmel.com

Lu, Adrienne. (2023, February 17). Everyone Is Talking About “Belonging,” but What Does It Really Mean? Chronicle of Higher Education, 69(12), 1–6.

Miller, K. E. (2020). The Value of Being Seen: Faculty-Student Relationships as the Cornerstone of Postsecondary Learning. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 13(1), 100–104.

Sciutto, M. J. (1995). Student-centered methods for decreasing anxiety and increasing interest level in undergraduate. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 22(3), 277.

Teaching & Learning in Point‐To‐Point (P2P) and Point‐To‐ Anywhere (P2A) Classrooms

Definitions

Point‐To‐Point (P2P) and Point‐To‐Anywhere (P2A) rooms are used at UW‐Green Bay to teach in the Interactive Video modality. Both room types allow for a synchronous class experience with a combination of in‐person and virtual students. Class sessions are not recorded. There is a Special Note added to these classes if they are campus‐to‐campus. A movie camera icon Camera Movie Video Record Film - Film Camera Icon Png, Transparent Png , Transparent Png Image - PNGitem is used to represent Interactive Video modality in the Schedule of Classes.

General Considerations

  1. Get comfortable with the equipment and modality prior to the start of the semester by testing it out and using resources such as the UKnowIt guide on P2A rooms and P2P rooms.
  2. Try to ensure that student learning is an equitable experience for all students, regardless of location.
  3. Consider student engagement as a continual area of importance and focus, both in‐person and online.
  4. Be prepared in advance with back-up plans in case technical and logistical issues arise during teaching.

For assistance or discussion of pedagogical strategies and best practices related to these types of rooms and the Interactive Video modality, please reach out to CATL (CATL@uwgb.edu) to schedule a consultation. If you need physical access to a room or have an issue with the technology in it, please contact GBIT (GBIT@uwgb.edu).

Tips for Success

Engage in advance preparation to support success for you and the students.

  • Ensure your use of technology and online components are aligned with your learning outcomes, as this is the most successful way to utilize the technological environment. For example, if your learning outcomes are tied to specialized knowledge about the field of chemistry and thermodynamics, integrating a Zoom poll that checks for understanding (i.e., which statement best represents the second law of thermodynamics?) could prove to be beneficial. (Howell, 2022; Raes et al., 2019)
  • Visit the classroom to become more familiar with its technology. Test out all equipment. You can attempt to share your materials on the virtual platform of Zoom or Teams with a volunteer ahead of time from the classroom. You can also do this alone as long as you take a second device to the room. [Note: You may need to step in the hallway when testing the second device] On one device, begin the meeting as the host. On the second device, use the invitation/link to access and to enter the meeting. This will simulate a second user in the meeting. Since you will have the same permissions on either computer, attempt to share any materials (presentations, videos) you will be presenting via the button in the platform (i.e., Zoom or Teams) while viewing it on the other device to ensure that it works as intended.
  • Before class each day, preload all files, pages, and/or programs that you will be accessing to reduce the wait time for students. This is especially true of videos that are streamed, including those on YouTube or in Kaltura. Preloading can be done on your own personal laptop (highly recommended method) or by using the podium computer in the room. If you are using your own device(s) in the room to project, you can connect via ShareLink, or preferably, to the HDMI cable in the room (please see our UKnowIt guide on P2A rooms).
  • Only have files, pages, and/or programs that are necessary for your class open during class. Unnecessary applications or windows could slow down the computer and lead to loading failures.

Promote equitable experience for your students across modalities.

  • Plan activities that involve both in‐person and remote students and promote their interaction. For example, alternate between online and in‐person participants in discussions (Bockorny et al., 2023).
  • Promote good communication by repeating or paraphrasing questions and/or answers from in‐person students to your remote learners even when there are drop microphones in the room, and by reading aloud what is in online chat and paraphrasing online student comments within the room itself.
  • Facilitate community‐building to help all students feel valued as members of the class (McGee & Reis, 2012).

Facilitate student engagement in-person and online.

  • Use online tools such as Hypothesis, OneDrive, Teams whiteboard, or Zoom whiteboard to allow social annotation and collaborative technological spaces for students to work. [Note: Some tools would potentially require in‐person students to be online in‐class as well] (Bower et al., 2014).
  • Facilitate small group discussions by giving clear directions, and participating both in‐person and online, being intentional about online students sharing out to the in‐person students, and vice‐versa.
    • One possibility is to monitor or join briefly each small group as the instructor. In addition to circulating in the classroom, you can potentially join virtual students via Teams or Zoom on a secondary device to engage in the conversation. [Note: You may need to step in the hallway when joining virtual groups.]
    • Another option for small group work is to elect group leaders, speakers, and/or notetakers to help facilitate reporting back to the larger class.
  • For large group discussions, consider having a student, or multiple students, monitor the chat so that interactions between remote and in‐person students can be as seamless as possible. (Raes et al., 2019)
  • Create online polling options (via Zoom or other platforms) for students to engage in rapid responses as class progresses, gathering real‐time feedback. [Note: In‐person students may need to be online as well]
    • Begin each class period with a warm‐up activity designed to engage students in both modalities. Use online polling as described above or try strategies such as playing videos or music or having a question of the day for people to answer in chat or out loud.

Create alternative ways of accessing materials when technological or logistical issues arise.

  • Access plays a critical part in the success of all students, so ensure that regardless of modality, everyone can access course content, assignments, activities, discussion boards, and other class materials in a digital format.
  • Be clear with students about your plan for class time. For example, you could proactively draft an agenda for each class session and publish it in Canvas. This way, if issues with connectivity arise, students will know what to do, what they can work on, and where to find materials applicable to the week or module. As with face‐ to‐face classes, interactive video courses are not recorded.

Common Technological Issues

  • Lag time between muting, unmuting, and responding to questions or prompts
    • Expect lag time between asking questions of remote students and their response. Practice patience in wait time to give ample opportunity for remote student participation. You can discuss the issue as an entire class, so that in‐person students know that you will wait before calling on anyone to respect that time delay.
  • Inaccurate position locking of voice‐tracking cameras
    • In‐class cameras in the P2P and P2A classrooms use voice tracking to follow the speaker, but they sometimes ‘lock in’ on someone who is not the intended primary speaker at the time. This is most likely to happen due to stray noise in the classroom. If it happens, the audio from the primary speaker may temporarily not be as clear. To bring the camera back to the instructor or the student who is talking, try to reduce background noise (classroom chatter, music, etc.) and have the person speak a bit more loudly for a few seconds. The camera should re‐position itself on them.
  • Unfamiliarity with Zoom’s customizable settings (for P2A classrooms only)
    • Not all P2A classes use Zoom technology for sessions, but if instructors are using it, they may find that the default settings feel too restrictive or not restrictive enough. There are many features in Zoom you can choose to use or change. These include: activating a ‘waiting room’ that requires acceptance by the host to join, allowing or restricting screensharing, muting microphones, hiding profile photos, restricting chat, or even immediately suspending all participant activities. These options can be changed. More information on the host controls and Zoom settings can be found here.

Contact Us!

Do you have a tip for your peers on teaching in these classrooms? Please let us know by writing to CATL@uwgb.edu.

Dispelling Common Instructor Misconceptions about AI

Staying updated on the rapidly evolving world of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) can be challenging, especially with new information and advancements seemingly happening in rapid succession. As tools like ChatGPT have taken the world by storm, many educators have developed divergent (and strong!) views about these technologies. It can be easy to get swept up in the hype or the doom and gloom of the media storm – overselling or underselling these technologies drives clicks, after all – but it also leads to the spread of misinformation as we try to cope with all the change.

In a previous blog post, we introduced generative AI technologies, their capabilities, and potential implications for higher education. Now, in this post, we will dig deeper into some important considerations regarding AI by exploring common misconceptions that some instructors may hold. While some educators are enthusiastic about incorporating AI into their teaching methodologies, others may harbor doubts, apprehensions, or simply lack interest in exploring these tools. Regardless of one’s stance, it is crucial that we all develop an understanding of how these technologies work so we can have healthy and productive conversations about GAI’s place in higher education.

Misconception #1: GAI is not relevant either to my discipline or to my work.

Reality: GAI is already integrated into many of the tools we use daily and will continue to become more prevalent in our work as technology evolves. 

Whether we teach nursing, accounting, chemistry, or writing, we use tools like personal computers, email, and the internet nearly every day. Generative AI is proving to be much the same, and companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta are already integrating it into many of the tools we already use. Google now provides AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. Microsoft Teams offers a feature for recapping meetings using GAI and is experimenting with GAI-powered analytics tools in Excel and Word. Meta has integrated AI into the search bar of Instagram and Facebook. Canvas may have some upcoming AI integrations as well. Some of us may wish to put the genie back in the bottle, but this technology is not going away.

Misconception #2: The content that GAI produces is not very good, so I don’t have to worry about it.

Reality: GAI outputs will continue to evolve, improve, and become harder to discern from human-created content.

A lot of time, energy, and money is being invested into generative AI, which means we can expect that AI-generated content will continue to advance rapidly. In fact, many GAI tools are designed to continually progress and improve upon previous models. Although identifying some AI-generated content may be easy now, we should assume that this will only become increasingly difficult to discern as the technology evolves and becomes better at mimicking human-created content. Currently, generative AI tools have been described as a “C average” student, but with additional development and thoughtful prompting, it may be capable of A-level work.

Misconception #3: I don’t plan on using AI in my courses, so I don’t need to learn about it or talk about it with my students or colleagues.

Reality: All instructors should engage in dialogue on the impact of AI in education and/or in their field.

Even if you don’t plan on using AI in your courses, it is still important to learn about these technologies and consider their impact on your discipline and higher education. Consider discussing AI technology and its implications with your department, colleagues, and students. In what ways will generative AI tools change the nature of learning outcomes and even careers in your discipline? How are other instructors responding? In what ways can instructors support each other as they each grapple with these questions?

Not sure where to start? Use CATL’s checklist for assessing the impact of generative AI on your course to understand how this technology might affect your students and learning outcomes, regardless of if you plan to use AI in your courses or not.

Misconception #4: I’m permitting/prohibiting all AI use in my course, so I don’t need to provide further instructions for my students.

Reality: All instructors should clearly outline expectations for students’ use/non-use of AI in the course syllabus and assignment directions.

Whether you have a “red-light,” “yellow-light,” or “green-light” approach to AI use in your class, it is important to provide students with clear expectations and guidelines. Be specific in your syllabi and assignment descriptions about where and when you will allow or prohibit the use of these tools or features. Make sure your guidelines are consistent with official guidance from the Universities of Wisconsin and UW-Green Bay, communications from our Provost’s Office, and any additional recommendations from your chair or dean. CATL has developed syllabus snippets on generative AI usage that you are welcome to use, adapt, or borrow from for inspiration. Be as transparent as possible and recognize that students will be encouraged to check with you if they cannot find affirmative permission to use GAI in a specific way.

Misconception #5: All my students are already using AI and know how it works.

Reality: Many students do not have much experience with this technology yet and will need guidance on how to use it effectively and ethically. Students also have inequitable access.

While there is certainly a growing number of students who have started experimenting with GAI, instructors may be surprised at how many students have used these tools little if at all. Even when students do have experience using GAI, we cannot assume that they understand how to use it effectively or know when its use is ethically problematic. Furthermore, some students have access to high-speed Internet, a personal computer, and paid access to their favorite GAI tool. Other students may have no or spotty web access and may be relying on a cell phone as their only means of working on a course.

If you are permitting students to use GAI tools in your class, provide them with guidance on how they can partner with these tools to meet course outcomes, rather than using them as a shortcut for critical thinking. Encourage students to analyze the outputs produced by GAI and make assessments about where these tools are useful and where they fall short (e.g., Are the outputs accurate? Are they specific and relevant? What may be missing?). Classes should also engage in discussions about the importance of citing or disclosing the use of AI. UWGB’s librarians are a great resource if you would like help developing a lesson plan around information literacy, GAI “hallucinations,” or GAI citations in specific styles, such as APA. In terms of equitable access to GAI, while it may not be possible to control for all variables, one way you can help level the playing field is by having your students use Microsoft Copilot through their UWGB accounts. You could also have them document how they have used the tool (e.g., what prompts they used).

Misconception #6: If I use AI-generated content in my courses, I am not responsible for inaccuracies in the output.

Reality: If you use AI-generated content to develop your courses, you are ultimately responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information and providing credible sources.

GAI is prone to mistakes; therefore, it is up to human authors and editors to take responsibility for the content generated in part or whole by AI. Exercise caution when using GAI tools because the information provided by them may not always be accurate. GAI developers like OpenAI are upfront about GAI’s potential to hallucinate, so it’s best to vet outputs against trusted sources. Be sure to also watch out for potential bias that can appear in outputs, as these tools are trained on human-generated data that can contain biases. If you use GAI to develop course materials, you should disclose or cite usage in the same format your students would use too. It is also best practice to talk about these issues with students. They are also ultimately responsible for the content they submit, and they should know, for example, that GAI grading that appears “unbiased” actually carries with it the biases of those who trained it.

Misconception #7: I can rely on AI detection tools to catch students who are using GAI inappropriately.

Reality: AI detection tools are unreliable, subject to bias, and provide no meaningful evidence for cases of academic dishonesty.

As research continues to come out about AI detectors, one thing is certain: they are unreliable at best. AI writing can easily fly under the radar with careful prompting (e.g., “write like a college sophomore and vary the sentence length” or “write like these examples”). Even more concerning is the bias present in AI detection, such as the disproportionally high rate of false positives for human writing by non-native English writers. And unlike plagiarism detection, which is easy to verify and understand, the process of AI detection is a black box – instructors receive a score, but not a rationale for how the tool made its assessment. These different concerns have led many universities to ban their use entirely.

Instructors are encouraged to consider ways of fostering academic integrity and critical thinking rather than trying to police student behavior with AI detectors. If you’d still like to try using an AI detection tool, know that these reports are not enough to constitute evidence of academic misconduct and should be treated as only a signal that additional review may be necessary. In most cases, the logical next step will be an open, non-confrontational conversation with the student to learn more about their thought process and any tools they may have involved. Think, too, about the potential consequences of falsely accusing a student of academic misconduct. The threat of failing an assignment, or even a course, could have an impact on trust with you or their department, eligibility for a scholarship keeping them in school, and so on. The unreliability and lack of transparency in AI detection can lead to increased anxiety even among students who are not engaging in academic misconduct.

Misconception #8: I can input any information into an AI tool as long as it is relevant to my job duties.

Reality: Instructors need to exercise caution when handling student data to avoid violating UWGB policy and federal law (e.g., privacy laws such as FERPA).

Many GAI tools are trained on user inputs, so we must exercise caution when considering what information is appropriate to use in a prompt. Even when a product claims that it doesn’t retain prompt information, there is still potential for data breaches or bugs that invertedly put users’ data at risk. It is crucial that you never put students’ personally identifiable information (PII) into an AI-powered tool, as this may violate the Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA). This also goes for work emails and documents that may contain sensitive information.

Misconception #9: AI advancement means the end of professors/teaching/higher education.

Reality: AI has many potential applications related to education, but CATL does not see them replacing human-led instruction.

Don’t get caught up in the smoke. Although the capabilities of generative AI can seem scary or worrying at first, that is a natural reaction to any major technological breakthrough. Education has experienced many shifts from technological advancements in the past, from the calculator to the internet, and has adapted and evolved alongside these technologies. It will take some time for higher education to embrace AI, but we can do our part by continuing to learn more about these technologies and asking important questions about their long-term impacts. Do you have questions or concerns about how AI will impact your course materials and assessments? Schedule a consultation with us – CATL is here to help!